Jabulani Library

RECORD COMPANIES PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF RUMBA

January 05, 2026 - 07:06 PM Kenya may not have attained the same level of musical success as the DRC, but seemingly, the genesis of its musical narratives bears striking similarities. The earliest local recording company in Kenya was East African Records, which established a recording studio with its record label, a house band called Jambo Boys, and a pressing plant based in the Industrial Area in the early 1950s. This was a milestone in the commercialization of music and created prospects for professional musicians for the very first time. In 1960, a retired British army officer, Peter Colmore, established yet another ...

A NIGHT WITH JAMNAZI IN SOY

December 25, 2025 - 04:57 AM Soy market is usually calm, with little activity, especially at sunset. However, this routine calm was disrupted on the evening of December 12th, 2025—a day when Kenya celebrates self-governance, popularly known as Jamhuri Day. As the sun slowly disappeared into the distant horizons of the mountain ranges in the west, a palpable excitement began to build within the market, which lies at the border of Kakamega and Uasin Gishu counties. That evening, the town was set to experience a live musical concert by Jamnazi, an Eldoret-based band, and this rare spectacle is what made the night truly unique. Situated about 23 kilometres from Eldoret along the Kitale Highway, Soy is an agrarian......

THE TOWERING FIGURE OF KENYAN MUSIC

December 18, 2025 - 08:41 PM OCHIENG KABASELE On the night of October 20th, 1984, at around 2 am, there was a violent knock on Kabasele’s door in his Kariobangi South home. Kabasele rushed to open the door when the knocking became persistent. Immediately as the door flew open, a dozen heavily armed men swung in and identified themselves as police. Everyone was woken up by the commotion. Joan, Kabasele’s wife, inquired from them who they were and what their mission was, but they didn’t respond. Instead, they clustered themselves into groups and took different directions; some to the bedroom, some remained in the sitting room, and some went to the children’s room and kitchen. When......

BIOGRAPHY OF THE "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

December 10, 2025 - 09:43 PM Kabasele, Joseph "Le Grand Kalle" (Kabasele Tshamala), celebrated Congolese singer and band leader; born Matadi, Congo-Kinshasa, Dec. 16, 1930; died Kinshasa, Feb. 11, 1983.Kabasele was born to a prominent Congolese family that included Joseph Malula, who rose to become a cardinal in the Catholic church. As one of the period's better-educated Congolese—he completed secondary school—Kabasele gained employment as a typist at a succession of commercial firms in colonial Léopoldville (Kinshasa). Music was his true calling, however, and he found an opportunity to pursue it around 1950 at a new recording studio called Opika. There he joined the aggregation of session musicians......

A MELODIOUS VOICE THAT TALKS TO THE HEART

December 09, 2025 - 04:54 AM Nyboma Mwandido was the star musician at the center of several musical galaxies. Bella Bella, Lipua Lipua, and Les Kamale were household names in the entire 1970s, and he was the central pillar and the star attraction of these bands. With the shockwaves of the pacy cavacha reverberating across the DRC and the whole of Africa, Nyboma became the much-sought-after voice, especially after being crowned Congolese Singer of the Year in 1974, following the success of his song "Kamale." Kamale is a Malian word that means "best friend," according to Nyboma. In an online debate on who was the all-time greatest singer, Nyboma's name featured prominently alongside the names of other singing......

THE GUITAR AND THE VOICE: REVISITING THE LEGACIES OF TABU LEY & FRANCO LUAMBO MAKIADI and Franco

December 02, 2025 - 10:57 PM On November 30, 2013, at St. Luc Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, Tabu Ley breathed his last. He had been taken there for treatment owing to his deteriorating health after suffering a stroke five years earlier. His death brought the curtains down on a music career that had spanned over 50 years. Born Pascal Tabu on November 29, 1940, Tabu Ley was a trailblazer of contemporary rumba and a titan of Congolese music. So revered is Tabu Ley that the only other musician whose name is mentioned in the same breath, or even higher, is Grand Maître Luambo Luanzo Makiadi, famously known as Franco. In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the two bands sat at the apex of the country's musical landscape......

KWAMY MUNSI: THE UNTOLD STORY

November 26, 2025 - 08:20 PM Music as an art is a form of expression. The feelings expressed can be love, hatred, anger, gratitude, or anything else. For the song “Chicotte” by Franco, it is anger at its extreme end. What irked Franco to this level of anger? Sample this verse from the song:Nabikisa yo na liwa Nani abungi likambo yango Opolaki olumbi solo oh Obimaki nde soi ya mobesu Okomaki ebembe ya l’etat Nasupportaki bosoto yango lokuta na yo Okutaki nga na OK Jazz Nakomisa yo ndenge ozali Lelo olobi ngai enemi Which translates to:You were a rotting carcass I saved from the jaws of death. Today I've become your enemy. You found me at OK Jazz. I made you who you are. Now you declare me an......

JIMMY CLIFF: REGGAE ICON & GLOBAL CITIZEN PASSES AWAY

November 24, 2025 - 08:02 PM Jamaican music superstar Jimmy Cliff has died at the age of 81. According to a Facebook post shared on his official page by his wife, Latifa Chambers, Cliff passed away in the hospital after suffering a seizure followed by pneumonia. The legendary singer, known for hits such as "Reggae Night," "Many Rivers to Cross," and his iconic cover of "I Can See Clearly Now," was born James Chambers on July 30, 1944, in St. James Parish, Jamaica. He began his music career in the early 1960s. Cliff was a pioneer in bringing the reggae genre to an international audience, notably through his starring role and contribution to the soundtrack of the 1972 cult-classic film, The Harder They Come. His career......

KIMPA KISANGAMENI LYRICS TRANSLATION BY FRANCO ET TPOK JAZZ

November 20, 2025 - 01:00 AM KIMPA KISANGAMENI BY FRANCO MAKIADI Uluoanga mau mame eeh!(These issues that you usually talk about)Kimpa kisangameni mama kuna zulu eeh,(has prominently to reveal itself up their mother)kindoki kisangameni mama kuna zulu eeh!(the witchcraft has prominently revealed itself up their mother) Mbisi zi mpipa luta teka hein ! , hehehehein?(You are selling fish at night hey!)Malafu ma mpipa luta teka hein !, hehehehein?(You claim to sell beer at night)Mimpuka mi mpipa luta teka hein !, hehehehein?(You claim to sell flour at night)Suni mi bantu luta mina hein!, hehehehein?(yet you swallow people's flesh)Makasu ma mpipa luta caba hein !, hehehehein?(You claim to sell cola nuts at......

GUNS AND GUITARS: THE STORY OF MAROON COMMANDOS

November 18, 2025 - 03:39 PM Growing up in the villages in the 1980s, life was far removed from what it is today. There were no smartphones with alarm clocks to wake us up early for school, which in those days was scattered kilometers apart. Neither were there alternative ways of reading the time. Roosters, who probably relied on temperature and light to wake up the villages, occasionally got it all wrong. For that reason, the responsibility of waking everyone up was bestowed on the radio. In those days, only three stations were accessible through a shortwave transistor receiver: VOK English, Swahili, and Vernacular services. The Kiswahili service was the most popular. The station opened at 5 a.m. with the signature......

Jabulani Library

RECORD COMPANIES PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF RUMBA

A NIGHT WITH JAMNAZI IN SOY

THE TOWERING FIGURE OF KENYAN MUSIC

BIOGRAPHY OF THE "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

A MELODIOUS VOICE THAT TALKS TO THE HEART

THE GUITAR AND THE VOICE: REVISITING THE LEGACIES OF TABU LEY & FRANCO LUAMBO MAKIADI and Franco

KWAMY MUNSI: THE UNTOLD STORY

JIMMY CLIFF: REGGAE ICON & GLOBAL CITIZEN PASSES AWAY

KIMPA KISANGAMENI LYRICS TRANSLATION BY FRANCO ET TPOK JAZZ

GUNS AND GUITARS: THE STORY OF MAROON COMMANDOS

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Jabulani Library

RECORD COMPANIES PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE EVOLUTION OF RUMBA

A NIGHT WITH JAMNAZI IN SOY

THE TOWERING FIGURE OF KENYAN MUSIC

BIOGRAPHY OF THE "FATHER OF CONGOLESE MUSIC"

A MELODIOUS VOICE THAT TALKS TO THE HEART

THE GUITAR AND THE VOICE: REVISITING THE LEGACIES OF TABU LEY & FRANCO LUAMBO MAKIADI and Franco

KWAMY MUNSI: THE UNTOLD STORY

JIMMY CLIFF: REGGAE ICON & GLOBAL CITIZEN PASSES AWAY

KIMPA KISANGAMENI LYRICS TRANSLATION BY FRANCO ET TPOK JAZZ

GUNS AND GUITARS: THE STORY OF MAROON COMMANDOS

News

Jabulani Library (241)

Artist Spotlight (22)

Editor's Choice (25)

Jabulani Library: Most Popular (46)

Jabulani News Archive (29)

Music Lyrics (53)

Playlists (3)

Playlists 2 (0)

RhumbaChronicles2 (0)

Trending (20)

Jabulani Swahili (9)

Rumba Chronicles (29)

Programs

WEEKEND RHUMBA TWILIGHT MIX

WEEKEND SOUKOUS ODYSSEY

BENGA BLAST

RHUMBA REVIVAL

WEEKEND ZILIZOPENDWA MIX

WEEKEND RHUMBA MIX

Latest podcasts

Legend Franco Luambo Makaidi

Find us on

Contact us

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